Meditation helps us stay focused!

Normally, after the lunch play bell goes, children come inside to have a rest. They lie down and rest their body. But today, I thought I would try something different.

Last week, children saw a photo of a child meditating. When they saw it, they naturally imitated, sitting down with eyes closed and their hands on their knees. They really enjoyed this, and we talked a little about meditation.

Today, as they came back into the class, we sat in a circle. I played a relaxing and calming piece of music. I talked about what  we were going to do.  then one of our children said "Meditation!" so some of them knew what we were going to do!

As the music was playing in the background, children were silent. I talked about being quiet inside us, and calming down. We talked about how important to see us positively using words like "I can!", "I keep trying.", "I am going  give it a go!" 

I gave an example of a situation I saw today during swimming where one of the children said "I can do it!" and how wonderful it was to hear it because this person was trying so hard and working hard.

Positive self-talk is important to build resilience and develop strategies when children are faced with challenges or difficulties. I love the way everyone tried to meditate and gave this new activity a go!
When we finished the meditation, one boy said "Can we do the meditation again tomorrow?"

After this meditation activity, we moved on to the writing session. The focus that children showed during this session was just fantastic!!!!

What is in our kete?

This week, we have been learning about whānau (family). Who is in our family? What makes our family happy or sad? What does it mean to love? We are also learning where we are from, and what  languages we speak. We acknowledge our differences and celebrate diversity in Room 2. We sat in a circle and talked about our kete, where our friends came from, and where some of the children's names came from. I like the way everyone listened so carefully as I talked about each child's kete. We went on to making family members to put into our kete using ice block sticks.

The children did a wonderful job drawing their families, colouring in, and taping it onto the sticks. It took a long time to complete this activity, but everyone put a lot of effort  into finishing making their kete to a high quality . You can tell how proud they are after making their whānau in  their kete! 

Tino pai tō mahi!!!! 

Children's voices 

"What is family?"
-"Family looks after you."
-"People in our family."
-"Parents, sisters, brothers and grandparents."

"What does it mean to love your family?"
-"Hugs!"
-"Kissing mum and dad."

"What makes your family sad?" 
-"When parents are grumpy at each other."
-"When we miss someone."

"What makes your family happy?"
-"When I was born."
-"When we hug and kiss each other."

Our redwood tree

This week, the room 2 children have been learning about the redwood tree that stands tall at our school. We have talked about how tall it is, who could have planted the seed of the tree, how long it has been there, and what creatures might like this wonderful tree.
We also talked about how our whakataukī links to this tall tree, we "Stand Tall, and Reach High"-"Tū Tangata, Tū Māia!" We are engaged, respectful, literate, curious and connected learners.

We made fantails too. 

                                                             

Our redwood tree 

It is amazing to see how our children really enjoy the open ended loose parts play. The type of play our children engage in using loose parts surprise me quite often. I love the way our children communicate and negotiate their ideas with each other, and most importantly our children are able to choose materials that they are interested in and accomplish the goals that they set out for themselves whether that is developing a creative story together or finding a solution by working with each other.

                                          "Teddybears are lining up to go into the house."

These children are trying to figure out how they can keep the pipe from rolling off the chairs. 

    

Week 2

We had a wonderful second week of school!

The project energize team came to teach our children a wonderful way to move our body!

Children needed to listen to Jono's instruction very carefully and work with each other. They did a wonderful job of working as a team!

Wonderful loose parts play happening in our classroom. Using different materials, children are negotiating their ideas, working with each other, persisting through difficulties, and achieving their own goals they had set for themselves!

We also worked on developing our self-portraits!

It is wonderful that our older children look after the new children. We are creating a wonderful culture of kindness in the classroom.